US consumer publication slams Tesla Model 3

Media outlets in the USA are subjecting the new Tesla Model 3 to a barrage of tests – whether the manufacturer likes it or not... and the results have been mixed, to say the least.

Well known American publication Consumer Reports purchased a Model 3 from Tesla and published a damming review of the car, based on the Model 3's inconsistent stopping distances during emergency braking tests, the touch-screen ergonomics inside, harsh ride, uncomfortable rear seat and excessive wind noise.

The emergency stopping tests were of particular concern, with the Model 3 failing to pull up in an acceptable distance from 60MPH (97km/h). After an initial run, which produced a stopping distance of "around" 130 feet (40 metres), the Consumer Reports testing staff were unable to replicate that result. In fact, despite repeated attempts after allowing the brakes to cool – even overnight, apparently – the final number posted was 152 feet (46.3 metres). That is 6.4 metres longer than the class average and 2.1 metres longer than a figure set by Ford's F-150 pick-up, a vehicle not known for its driving dynamics.

The test team borrowed a second Model 3 from a private owner and came up with the same results.

Consumer Reports also cited remarks by enthusiast publication Car & Driver in a comparison involving the Model 3. C&D noted that although the Model 3 could pull up in 175 feet (53.3 metres) in an emergency stop from 70MPH (113km/h) – and therefore did so in a shorter distance than BMW i3, Chevrolet Bolt, Hyundai Ioniq and Volkswagen e-Golf – its results were highly inconsistent. For the third run, the Model 3 required "an interminable 196 feet" (60 metres) to stop.

Consumer Reports interviewed C&D Testing Director K.C. Colwell, who declared: "I’ve been testing cars for 11 years, and in 11 years, no car has stood out with inconsistent braking like this. Some trucks have. . . . It was just weird."

While the inconsistent emergency braking performance was the focus of the report, Consumer Reports also knocked points off the Model 3 for the car's touch screen, which does triple duty for major controls (mirror adjustment, for instance), comfort (climate control) and infotainment. The reviewers found it to be a distraction, located as it is in the centre fascia, and hard to use without backing out of menus for one function to make a change elsewhere.

Although rear-seat comfort, ride quality and wind noise were also grounds for CR's determination that the Model 3 had not earned a 'recommendation', the reviewers did praise the EV for its straight-line performance, Porsche-like cornering ability and its 350-mile (563km) range.

Another consumer-focused media outlet based in the US, Edmunds.com, also bought its own Model 3 for a long-term test. In its latest update, staff echoed the remarks of Consumer Reports in reference to the car's ergonomics.

And the touch screen has been prone to glitches and bugs, according to the reviewers, requiring resets and software downloads. Edmunds reports that it has opened a shared Google Doc to catalogue the warning messages, screen resets and "general failures". Describing the Model 3 as "fraught with problems", Edmunds also stated that the 16-week "ownership experience" to date "has been unacceptable".

Part of the issue for Tesla is its seemingly inexplicable decision to withhold the Model 3 from testing by the American media. If the manufacturer had allocated cars for testing by the press, it would be able to control the message in varying degrees. But with no other option available, motoring journalists and their employers have been buying the Model 3 to test, or worse, borrowing cars from owners. Consequently, they're finding out first-hand what it's like to be an owner-cum-beta tester.